. . . we caught a large rat.

Larger than the eastern woodrat, the bushy-tailed woodrat is true to its name.  Along with a larger body size and large, naked ears, the squirrel-like tail is really what separates these thieving rats from any other, and consequently makes identifying the species from Lewis' notes unquestionable.  In Lewis' brief remarks concerning the rats of the country, he made some astute observations.  He noticed the locations of their nests tucked into rock clefts and tree hollows, and he also remarked on the rodent's fondness for prickly pear fruit.  This he deduced from the discarded fruit cores around their nests.  Like their eastern relative, the eastern woodrat, otherwise known as the packrat, these western rats are collectors of all sorts of objects, which they place in a midden.  Theodore Roosevelt once described finding a woodrat collection that had among its prizes a small revolver, a hunting knife, two books, a fork, a small bag, and a tin cup.  Did Teddy exaggerate?

For more information about this North American mammal, click here.